I was thinking today about why I’m #HumanityFirst and I realized it has a lot to do with the way I approach the world. I have always been an almost unbearable extrovert, but in the last few years, I have become intensely interested in meeting strangers. 1/?

2/? While unemployed and job hunting, I would go to my local coffee shop and sit outside and strike up a conversation with anybody who would let me. The things you learn about people are incredible! You would be so surprised how happy it truly makes people

3/? To feel like someone is interested in *them* with no ulterior motive aside from pleasant human interaction. I have made so many friends this way, some of whom have become part of my life. And I don’t mean people my age who I party with, but a group of older

4/? Men who I check in with periodically because our paths have crossed and we’re happier for it. They want to know how I’m doing, and if the advice they gave me helped. They encouraged me to apply for the job I ended up getting, and loving.

5/? I think what I’m trying to say here is, when you spend time every day to reach out to the people around you, be it small talk or a long convo or something as simple as a shared smile, you ingrain in yourself the understanding that every single person

6/? That surrounds you is a *whole person* with their own lives, triumphs, joys, sorrows, and worries. We are so far from alone in this world it’s not even funny. And if we can all feel that way, like every man is our neighbor, we could really strive for something greater.

7/7 and that’s really why I’ve fallen so hard for the #YangGang. It encapsulates everything I feel when I make that little connection with a total stranger, even if we never meet again. Gave kindness and compassion for others is a strength and we need to foster it.

Aw man I typo’d. **having kindness